Ticino government strips Claudio Zali of his duties

The Ticino cantonal government has removed all responsibilities from government member Claudio Zali after he refused calls to resign immediately, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reports. Responsibility for his department will pass to government member Raffaele De Rosa until Zali’s successor, Piero Marchesi of the Swiss People’s Party, takes office.

Zali, a Lega politician, will remain in office until the end of September but will no longer manage any dossiers. He will still have access to his office and emails and may attend government meetings.

In a written statement, Zali addressed criminal proceedings over alleged sexual assaults. He said he had been questioned and had credibly refuted all the accusations. In his view, the proceedings should have been discontinued long ago. He also said he would not resign early because this could be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

Authorities have separately been investigating Zali since June on suspicion of abuse of office. His responsibilities for justice and policing were removed from his department as a result.

The affair was further intensified by a secretly recorded telephone call between Zali and an acquaintance that was later made public. In the recording, the government member allegedly called for violence against a woman. Under mounting pressure, he announced at the end of July that he would resign at the end of September.

The woman who published the recordings drowned in Lake Lugano two weeks ago, prompting further speculation about the affair. An autopsy concluded that she died without outside involvement.

Zali is presumed innocent in all proceedings and allegations. The affair has nevertheless shaken Ticino politics and damaged the cantonal government’s standing. Government president Marina Carobbio said the state was functioning and that residents could continue to trust its institutions. SRF said Zali was effectively a king without a realm because he remains in office but no longer controls any dossiers.